Sitting within the visiting supervisor’s workplace at Yankee Stadium, Brewers supervisor Pat Murphy declined to go ballistic over the torpedo bats that blew up his pitching employees over the primary three video games of the season.
“My old ass will tell you this for sure: It ain’t the wand, it’s the magician,” Murphy stated Sunday. “So if the bats help, I’m sure every guy in the league will be using them within a week. But I’m telling you, it’s the hitter, not the bat.”
Murphy shared that philosophy after a 12-3 loss that noticed the Yankees sweep his Brewers whereas crushing 4 dwelling runs. The day earlier than, the Yankees set a franchise report with 9 dwelling runs in a 20-9 beatdown. Through the recreation, a lot was product of the Bombers’ “torpedo” bats.
The bats, formed like a torpedo or bowling pin – as Brewers pitcher Nestor Cortes put it – had been invented by former Yankees analyst Aaron Leanhardt. Leanhardt now works for the Marlins, however he launched the bats to the Yankees final 12 months. The superbly authorized design encompasses a barrel that’s nearer to the palms, creating extra density towards the bat’s label.
Michael Kay explains that the Yankees made new bats "where they moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat is going to strike the ball."
Appears related immediately… pic.twitter.com/cpldzigdrT
— Terrible Saying (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2025
Solely Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Trevino, now with the Reds, used the bats in 2024, in keeping with Cortes, who pitched for the Yankees final season. However Anthony Volpe, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm Jr., who homered twice on Sunday, have been seen utilizing the distinctive lumber early this season, in addition to throughout spring coaching.
“The team has bought into it more now. And if it’s legal, it’s legal. I got nothing against it,” Cortes stated. “Now it’s a story because the whole team is using it.”
The Yankees roughed Cortes up on Saturday, as Goldschmidt, Bellinger and Aaron Decide – who will not be utilizing the torpedo design – smoked the lefty’s first three pitches of the sport for dwelling runs. Wells and Chisholm additionally smacked longballs off Cortes, making for an unsightly return to Yankee Stadium.
Nonetheless, Cortes didn’t blame the bats for his poor efficiency.
“No, it’s probably because of a bad pitch I made,” he stated to laughter. “I feel these had been gonna exit regardless if that they had a pin bat or a daily bat.
“I got no idea what these bats do, so I can’t give my opinion on it.”
Different Brewers refused to attribute a horrific opening sequence to the bats.
“I don’t think the kind of bat used had any impact on the outcome of the series,” Christian Yelich stated. “I don’t think we played anywhere close to good enough to deserve to win any of those games the last three days.”
Murphy famous the Brewers began the season with a decimated pitching employees, as they had been down eight of their prime 13 arms. He additionally stated Sunday starter Aaron Civale, who surrendered three homers, was impacted by a hamstring difficulty.
Murphy added that his pitchers usually didn’t execute.
“Whenever you throw the ball down the center, you’re going to get it whacked,” the skipper stated.
Nonetheless, he made certain to credit score the Yankees for his or her offensive outbursts.
“I don’t know if you guys watched, but if you did, the Yankees are good, and they kicked our ass,” Murphy stated. “They’re real good. Were they in the World Series? Is that the highest level you can go?”
Like Cortes, Freddy Peralta didn’t have any difficulty with the Yankees’ bats. He allowed homers to Wells and Volpe on Opening Day.
“If it’s legal, there’s nothing that I can do or anybody can do about it,” Peralta said. “If it’s something good and we want to use it, we can use it.”
Requested if any of his pitchers had been aggravated by the bats, Murphy additionally famous that they’re throughout the guidelines. He went on to say that if any pitchers are bothered by the bats, then they’ve already misplaced.
“It’s not like some magical wood or anything else,” Murphy stated. “It’s proven to be effective for the Yankees this weekend. I think there’s other things that were in play there, but they’re really good hitters, and if pitchers want to get annoyed, then the hitters win.”
Earlier within the day on Sunday, Milwaukee’s Trevor Megill was quoted by the New York Submit as saying that the bats are “terrible.”
“We’ll see what the data says,” Megill continued, per the Submit. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I feel like it’s something used in slow-pitch softball. It’s genius: put the mass all in one spot. It might be bush [league]. It might not be. But it’s the Yankees, so they’ll let it slide.”
When different reporters approached Megill after the sequence finale, he claimed he was misquoted and had meant to reward the Yankees for the innovation.
Yelich, in the meantime, appeared curious in regards to the new-look bats.
The previous MVP had not heard about them till this weekend, and he’s undecided what edge they might present. However Yelich is shut with just a few members of the Yankees’ clubhouse and plans on choosing some brains.
“If it’s a technological development on the hitting aspect, it’d be cool as a result of we’ve been type of taking part in meet up with the pitching aspect,” Yelich stated. “If you should utilize know-how to make your self carry out higher, so long as it’s throughout the guidelines, why not?
“I think as players, especially if you want to keep playing at a high level in the league, you should always be open to making changes, making adjustments and trying to improve any way you can.”
